The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a pair of shells which firmly retain an insulative housing therein and which can be conveniently manufactured, and particularly to a mini USB cable connector having a pair of shells for enclosing the insulative housing therein, thereby providing EMI shielding.
Electrical connectors commonly used for electrically connecting cable, and although they may solve the problem of connecting the cables, they simultaneously producing a variety of other problems about the electrical connectors. These other problems include generation of and vulnerability to electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI problems are normally overcome by use of shielding, but reliably attaching an EMI shield to a connector housing is a problem since the shield must endure a large insertion force from a mating connector. Conventional electrical connectors are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,683,269 and 5,425,657. An electrical connector, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises a housing 24 containing contacts therein, a cover block member 32 for holding cable conductors, and a pair of metal backshells 26 and 28 fastened together over the cover block member 32 and the housing 24. A pair of locking tabs 261 of a pair of first projections 260 of the backshell 26 latch with a pair of locking holes 281 of a pair of second projections 280 of the backshell 28, the first and the second projections 260 and 280 together abutting against opposite sides 241 of the housing 24. However, the projections 260 and 280 are inconvenient to manufacture and can not reliably retain the housing 24 in a fixed position in the backshells 26 and 28.